Russia may bring forward manned launch after rocket failure

Russia said Friday it was likely to bring forward the flight of a new manned space mission to the International Space Station but postpone the launch of a cargo ship after a rocket failure that forced two crew members to make an emergency landing.

This week’s Soyuz rocket launch was aborted but Russia said the next manned mission to the International Space Station could be brought forward (AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)

It was the first such incident in Russia’s post-Soviet history — an unprecedented setback for the country’s space industry.

Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague sped back to Earth when the Soyuz rocket failed shortly after launching from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday.

The Soviet-designed Soyuz rocket is currently the world’s only lifeline to the International Space Station and the accident will affect the work of the orbiting laboratory.

“We will try to bring forward the launch of a new crew,” Sergei Krikalyov, executive director of the Russian space agency, told reporters.

He said the next unmanned cargo ship could go into space later than planned.

The next Soyuz launch had been scheduled to take a new three-person crew to the ISS on December 20 and a Progress cargo ship had been set to blast off on October 31.

Leaving ISS unmanned?

Veteran cosmonaut Krikalyov said that “in theory” the ISS could remain unmanned but added Russia would do “everything possible not to let this happen.”

A space walk planned for mid-November has also been cancelled, he said. The crew had planned to examine a hole in a Russian spacecraft docked at the orbiting station.

Thursday’s aborted launch took place in the presence of NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine who was visiting Russia and Baikonur this week.

The incident was a huge embarrassment for Moscow, which has recently touted plans to send cosmonauts to the Moon and Mars.

All manned launches have been suspended and a criminal probe has been launched.

The Kremlin said experts were working to determine what caused the rocket failure.